Vibrating apparatus



June 3, 1947.

T. A. DILLON VIBRATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed arch 31,. 1941 m www@ W70/mfr June 3; 1947. fr, A, D|LLON 2,421,485

4 VIBRATING APPARAUs Filed March 31, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /l IZ//j/ ////////I/ v lo;

Patented June 3,

Thomas Aloysius Dillon,`

Toronto, Ontario,

Canada, assignor to Dillon Patents Limited,

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Canada, a` corporation ofl Application'MarchfZil, 1941, Serial No. 386,093 z In. Great Britain December 6, 1939 This invention relates to avibrating apparatus` and more particularly tota therapeutic machine or a mechanical exerciser, whereby high speed vibrations can be imparted to thehuman body,V and constitutes a `continuation-impart ofmyv able structure and a supportingrsystem. The4 vibratable structure includes an element to be vibrated,` such as a therapeutic machine o r a mechanical exerciser, having bearingsiocated on an axis perpendicular to` the plane of desired movement and substantially at 'the centre of mass. of the vibratable structure. A rotatable member is journalled in and carried solely by the bearings, the shaft and bearings cooperating in such a manner that the bearlnglaxis is spaced apart from the parallel central axis of the mass of the rotatable member. Driving means is pro.- vided on the rotatable member: which is concentric to the central axis thereof and'adapted to rotate said member thereby imparting high frequency vibrations to the vibratable element.

The supporting meansare eiective for restricting the movement of the vibrating structure in jects in view, as will machines or mechanical exerclsers and other forms of mechanical vibrators; V

.From the foregoing and other features as obappear in thecourseof the follow-ing specication and claims, illustrative forms ofpractising the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of a vibrating imparting assembly used in the vibrating apparatus; u l A l l Figure 2 ls a vertical cross sectional view substantially on the line 2--2 of Figure 3 showing the employment of the inventi n in a therapeutic machine: w i c .a l

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional `view substantlally on the line S-Iof Figure 2;

Figure `4' is .a detail view of the suspension arrangement; and l various directions while permitting substantially unrestrained movements through limited distances in a plane, the supporting means and vibratable structure being so devised as to have a lower natural period of vibration than the enforced period imposed upon the vibratable structure from a driving agency. p l

One ofthe principal features of my invention resides in the novel vibratable structure which is capable of being vibrated at high speed while the rotatable member, imparting the gyratory movement to the structure, remains sensibly at rest while it spins. l

Another feature of the invention resides in the manner in which the vibratable structure is elastically supported so that the vibratable element and its attaching mechanism is in effect a free body and forms a system having a low natural period of vibration.

Other features of the invention reside in the incorporation of the vibrating mechanism into various types of devices such ,as therapeutic 'brackets or in any other Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevation showing the shaft as driven through a, belt drive.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the specication and drawings,`

Figures 2 and `3 illustrate a therapeuticdevice in the form of a vibrating exerciser and comprises, in general, a. resiliently supported structure |01 to which is attached the table or seat |00 and carrying a footrest |0| on one side or end thereof.` i

The top of the seat can be designed, if so de'-` sired, tocarry foldable extension members |02 which are hinged to the ends of the top of the seat so that they can be swung upwardly and outwardly to provide the top of the seat with a sumcient surface upon which a patient may lie.

'I'he folded back membersy 02 can'be supported by suitable manner following usual practice. p, A supporting frame |00 iscontained within the table orseat |00 and rests on the base |03. The frame |04 isrofless-height, width and length than the interior of ,the seat |00.

A pair ofm'embers |05 extend across the top of the framey'l04 and support the upper ends of four hangar .'rod assemblies as will be explained `in detail hereinafter.

lThe lower ends of the hangar rodassemblies `are secured to the inner side faces of the sides `oi' the structure |01. A pair of cross members |08 arevfastened to of the structure ,|01 and extend `fromV the inner face of one side of the seat |00 to the inner face Four blocks |00 are securedl of the other side. upon the ends of thecross-members |08 and screws ||0 are sides of the seat to be threaded into orifices in the' block- |09 whereby the seat is secured to structhe top passed through orices inV the l. e

ture |01 which, in turn, is suspended from the hangar rod assemblies.

A preferred arrangement by means of which the vibrating structure isresiliently suspended from Athe fixed structure |04 is illustrated in IFigure 4 and includes four hangar rods |06.

Each hangar rod assembly includes a hangar` rod |06 which projects through bracket 3 projecting from the side of the rectangular frame |01.

` The lower end of rod |06 is threaded to receive nut 63. The nut 63 bears against washer 64 which, in turn,

In the design and construction of the vibrating mechanism, the shaft and counterbalancing.-

assembly are so proportioned that when the shaft is'rotated at. its normal operative speed, the axis of rotation lwill coincide with the geometric axis of the central portion 22 of'the shaft. This can done by casting the counterbalancing wheels approximately the off-balance required and then Iobtain the fine adjustment by the adjustable bears against rubber washer 65 positioned, l

to rest against the lower face of bracket 3. .The

rod |06 extends through orifice 66 in bracket 3 and is sheathed within rubber sleeve 61 contained within collar 68 formed on the upper face of the bracket. rubber washer 69 and the rod |06 also carries nut 10 which is threaded on the rod above the bracket 3 to press the washer 1l against the upper washer 69. i'

The upper end of rod |06 freely projects through rubber sleeve 55 fastened to plate |05 which is secured to framel. The rod' is threaded at its upper end to receive nut 50 ,andV compression spring 60 is introduced between the topof the plate |05 and collar 6| located underneath the bottom of the nut 59. vThe platee |05 is formed with an upwardly extending collar 62 which sur# rounds spring 60. The collars 6| and 62 retain the spring 60 in its proper alignment surrounding the upper end'of rod |06.- n n.

"Io set up the required vibrating or vgyratory movement of the frame sides of the frame |01 are provided with aligned bearing housings |1- located, preferably, on an axis perpendicular of the plane of ldesired movement and substantially` at the centre of mass of the frame |01 and superin'iposed loads,`and secured to the inner faces of the sides rby means of bolts i9. i l f Bearings 20 are positioned-within the bearing housings to receive the shaft |5 and the bearing vhousings are provided with the usual dust capl assemblies I8 and 2|. v 1

As'illustrated in Figure 1, the shaft I5 has a central portion 22 of greatest diameter and which extends across the frame between the roller bearings. The portions 23 of the` shaft which are received within the'roller bearings 20 are of reduced diameter and are eccentric tothe central portion 22 of the shaft. In actual practice, the degree of eccentricity of the eccentric portions 23 of the shaft is determined by the extent to which it is desired` to move the vibrating body during each revolution of the shaft. For example, if the eccentric portions 23 areofE-.centre 1/32 of an inch, the frame |01 is vibrated with a circular motion 1/16 of an inch in diameter during each revolution of the shaft.

One. or more of the counterbalancing flywheels 25 is concentrically mounted on the central portion of the shaft with the weightedv portion 21 directly opposite the throw ofthe eccentric portions 23 of the shaft. In order to avoid deflection 0f the portion of the shaftbetween the bearings, the counterbalancing ilywheels -are preferably mounted approximate to the bearings.

One of the iiywheels may be formed with a `groove 26 to receive a driving belt, if desired,

or a driven member of circularsection, such as in the form of la driven pulley |20, can be concentrically mounted upon `the central portion 22 of the shaft. The pulley |20 may be driven `from The top of collar 68 supports the upper` |01, I provide a shaft I54 which extends transversely of the frame |01. The

weight 28 which may be set at any desired point on -the.flywheel. yIn the embodiment of the r0- tatable memberillustrated in lFigure 1, the centre of mass, or the mass axis, of the counterbala anced shaft is spaced apart from the axis of rotationand will be between the axis of rotation` andthe counterbalancing mass. The axis of r0- tation of the counterbalanced shaft can be physically observed when the system is driven at operative speed by'- the `concentric rotation of the concentrically mounted driving means.

The vibrating assembly Amay be driven'irom' amotor |2|,- as illustrated in Figure 5, mounted on the b ase |03 through the'belt |22 or, alternatively; the portion 22 of the shaft may constitute the drive shaft of the `motorl as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. j' y In the embodiment of `my invention illustrated in Figures 2 and 3,4 the shaft constitutes the drive shaft of a motor and extends through motor casing |44 and the motor armature is carried upon the shaft.' In order to retain the motor casing ||4 against rotation, a flexible tongue ||5 -is secured to it at one enda'ndat the other end to the structure |01. Inv'o'rder to permit the motor to adjust itself to the 'eccentric motion of the central portion of the shaft when such vshaft is y first rotated, a rubber block ||6 may be inserted 'between the end of the flexible tongue I5 andthe motor casing. l

In operation, theA shaft rI5 at low speeds rrotates about the axis of the eccentric portions 23 with the result that the central portion rotates eccentrically. As the speed of the shaft is increased, the' counterbalance ybecomes effective and the shaft finds its quiescent centre of rotation which, through the design of the shaft andr counterbalance assembly, coincides with the geometric axis of the central'portion 22. The present structure is particularly adapted for a light duty apparatus where the amplitude of vibration is very small and the requisite starting torque,

therefore, is not very high.

' In operation, the rate of revolution of the ro.-

tatable member is suiiiciently high as to be well above the resonant or criticalfrequency of the system comprised of the vibratable structure and the supporting means, with the result that the vibratable structure moves under the control of the forces set up by the rotatable member and under very small control of the supporting means. Thus, it behaves as a free body because of the small influence of the supporting means on its motion.

The proportioning of the masses attached-to the rotatable member is such that the combination of the rotatable member and the vibratable structurehave their combined mass centre at the geometrical axis yof the central portion 22 of the rotatable shaft. Due, however, to the bearing between the rotatable shaft and the vibratable structure, the entire mass of the vibratable structure has an effect as though it were concentrated on the bearing axis and it makes no contribution to the moment of `inertia of the vibratable structure.

When the rotatable shaft is accelerated toy operating speed, it passes through the resonance able structure describes anorbital motionV withwV t bearingv radius equal to theecoentricity of the A surfaces. With the rotatable shaft near the cen- "fie of gravity of the vibratable structure, the enbody, that is, it

for vibrating said body in a vertical plane including a shaft journalled in bearings in a line extending transversely substantially through the centre of gravity of said vibratable body; counterbalancing means carried by said shaft adjacent to said bearings, and the centre of mass counterbalancing means being bearings and to the axis of rotation of said vibrating system; .and rotary driving means providedon said shaft, the axis of said driving means being eccentric to the axis of said bearings and substantially coincident with said axis of rotation of said vibrating system when rotating at operative speeds; and yielding means tire vibratable structure describes its orbital mof tion with no superimposed rotation.

The system comprised of the vibrating frame and other attendant framework, the shaft and the counterbalancing weights moves as though the, vibrating frame were constituted as a mass at the centre of their yrespective bearingathis y mass having no moment of inertia. By proportioning the weights in the fiywheels correctly, the mass centre of the entire system is made to coin. cide with the geometrical axis of the shaft with the result that the shaft remains sensibly at rest while it spins and a concentrically mounted driven member of circular section may be used on this shaft without danger to the driving connection.

' It will be understood that the invention isnot to be construed as limited to the specific modifications described and illustrated herein as other embodiments may be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the teachings herein without departing from the scope of the inven tion as defined in the appended claims. j What I claim as new and desireto protect by.

letters Patentof the Untied States is: l. A vibrating system arranged 4for t t movement relative to a quiescent axis oferotti` nd comprising a body to be vibratedyrotating means for vibrating said bodyina'vertical plane including a shaft journalled in bearings in said body, said rotating means being supported solely by said bearings and the centre of rotating means being eccentric to and to the axis of rotation of said t tem and at least a portion oi'"said shaft being concentric with the axis of rotation of said visaid bearings brating system at operative speeds; and rotary driving means concentrically mounted on said concentric shaft portion, means being eccentric tothe axis of said bearings and substantially coincident with said axis of lrotation of said vibrating system;

means for supporting said body.

2. A vibrating system arranged for movement relative to a quiescent axis of rotation and comprising a body to be vibrated and rotating means vibrating sys-` the axis of said driving and yielding said shaft and axis of rotation causes circular movement having a relatively low resonant frequency for supporting said body.

3. A vibrating system comprising a"yieidingly supported. bodyprovided with bearings and -rotating means including a shaft iournalled in and supported solely by said bearings for vibrating `said body in a vertical piane, an eccentric mass integral with said shaft between said bearings, a separate eccentric mass attached to said shaft, whereby the center of the integral mass of said shaft is` eccentric to said bearings and rotation of attached masses about a quiescent y, throughout the entire extent of said body, and a centric t mass.

mass of said pulieyvtfor rotating said mounted on saIdshaIt, the axisI of said pulley being eccentricto' the axis of of saidshaft and attached masses, the mass of said shaft being displaced from said axis of rotation in the same, direction as said attached ec- 'rHoMAs ALoYsrUs DILLoN. l

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: UNITED STATES PATENTSy Number Name Date 4 1,797,306 Webb Mar. 26, 1931 2,090,767 Sayers et al. Aug. 24, 1937 1,357,292 Inwe --1 Nov. 12, 1920 1,879,923 Deister Sept.27, 1932 2,292,327 l Lincoln Aug. 4, 1942 899,441 Taylor Sept. 22, 1908 2,246,483 Dillon 4--- June 17, 1941 2,267,143 Soldan Dec. 23, 1941 FOREIGN PA'I'ENTS Number Country Date 383,024 Canada Aug. 1, 1939 454,550 Great Britain Oct. 2,1936 129,918 Austria ,-,L Oct. 10, 1932 512,810 Great Britain ..-4--- Sept. 26, 1939 608,648

Germany Jan. 28, 1935 shaft concentrically said bearings and substantially coincident with said axis of rotation 

